Baylor not overlooking Iowa State
After a tough win over Oklahoma State 35-24 Sept. 24, some may think Baylor is preparing for a far less competitive opponent in Iowa State (1-3, 0-1).
The two square off at 11 a.m. Oct. 1 on FS1.
But Bears acting head coach Jim Grobe said his squad has to contend with a pair of Cyclone quarterbacks — Joel Lanning and Jacob Park — who both run and throw equally well. Lanning has 36 rushes for 67 yards and two touchdowns and has completed 43 of 77 passes for 605 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. Parks has 10 rushes for 56 yards and completed 28 of 49 passes for 334 yards and three touchdowns.
“I feel like one’s more talented running the football,” Grobe said. “As I watch them both play, I know why they’re playing — they’re both talented. They spread you out and try to get you one-on-one. Try to defend the scheme more than which quarterback is in the game.”
Linebacker Aiavion Edwards said playing at Iowa State isn’t easy.
“It’s a really good atmosphere,” he said. “They do a really great job, and the fans are really involved. We haven’t played very well there the last couple of times we’ve been there. So we hope to quiet them down and play our game.”
And though ISU is in the bottom of the conference standings, Grobe said his squad has plenty to play for, especially on the defensive end.
He noted the Bears (4-0, 1-0) have played a lot of snaps and have a great habit of going full speed but haven’t forced a lot of turnovers, which is an area of emphasis.
“That was one of my disappointments, we didn’t force turnovers,” he said. “We’d get sacks and tackles for loss. We’re looking when we tackle to strip the ball. We’ve been around the football quite a bit for interceptions. We need to continue to stress that.”
He noted that when OSU had momentum and looked poised to take the lead, the defense found a way.
“Our guys bow their necks and play harder,” he said. “They’re basically going in and we knock the ball out at the half-yard line and not giving up. We’re continuing to play hard.”
As for the offense, Grobe said receiver K.D. Cannon seems to have a pulled groin, but he thought they’d know more about his status later in the week.
The Bears have three running backs splitting carries that include Terrence Williams (55-284-4 touchdowns), JaMycal Hasty (36-266-2) and Shock Linwood (42-217), who has several program rushing records.
Grobe said Linwood’s role is simple — he must compete.
“That’s the beauty of having three running backs,” he said. “The whole point on our team is you have to compete. You have practice hard during the week and earn snaps. It’s a tough situation for Shock to be in. We’ll have a good week of practice, competitive practice.”
I think we got to improve to be the kind of team we’re capable of being.
